Destrier (Ship)
Description A larger, more heavily armed version of the more common Courser, the Destrier is a boxy four-masted vessel in the shape of a leaping horse. The Destrier's forecastle is double-decked, and armed with the turreted heavy catapult and a pair of medium ballistas, The stern castle is single-decked and armed with the heavy ballista and the remaining two medium ballistas, while the main deck houses a broadside of the light ballistas. Like the Courser, the Destrier has a grappling ram in the shape of an articulated horse's head with retractable spikes. The internal layout of the ship is similar to that of the Courser, and space is similarly at a premium aboard the tightly-packed ship, with rooms being squeezed in wherever possible. Designed by and for the Company of the Chalice, the Destrier has been adopted by several other human organizations, but has not become as popular as the smaller Courser. This is primarily because the Destrier, while sturdy and heavily-armed, is very clumsy for a ship its size, and comes with a high price tag. Despite these significant drawbacks, the Destrier is often used by the Trading Company and several human nations for their navies. It is notable that the Pragmatic Order of Thought, which frequently uses the smaller Coursers, does not typically use Destriers. Crew As a vessel intended for combat, the Destrier is always manned by seasoned military men and women, with a crew that is typically 35-40 strong. A typical Company of the Chalice vessel will have a captain (a paladin of 7th-10th level), a first mate (a paladin of 4th-7th level - either a squire of the captain or a low-ranking knight), a second mate (a paladin of 2nd-5th level - a squire of either the captain or the first mate), a bosun (a paladin of 1st-4th level - a squire of either the captain or first mate), a helmsman (a cleric of 5th-8th level), and a navigator (a cleric of 1st-8th level who will double as a backup helmsman). The remainder of the crew will be hardy men, trained to fight (warriors of 1st-3rd level). Other organizations using Destriers tend to organize their crews along similar lines. Ship Uses Warship: The Destrier is a powerful warship for its size, and is commonly used in situations which require heavy fighting. While it is heavily-armed and well-protected, the clumsy Destrier, like the Courier, relies primarily on the quality of its crew, engaging in boarding actions whenever possible. In this role the heavy weapons are typically used to soften up enemy crews prior to boarding, with the catapult often being used to fire loads of shot as a jettison. Destriers used as warships by the Company of the Chalice frequently serve as command vessels for small fleets of 1-6 Coursers, a practice which has done much to enhance their effectiveness. Privateer: A number of Destriers have been used as privateers, however the clumsy handling of the ship usually makes it difficult for a lone Destrier to close with a pirate vessel. The few successful privateers using Destriers also use a number of more maneuverable ships to herd the enemy towards the powerful Destrier. Other Configurations Barded Destrier: The only significant variation of this ship is known as the Barded Destrier. This heavy warship is plated with more armour, increasing AR to 3, but reducing MC to a nearly-crippling F. All medium weapons are upgraded to heavy, sacrificing 8 tons of cargo space. Barded Destriers are truly only useful in fleet actions, in which they are sent into the heart of enemy formations to bust them up.